Giraffe

A long time ago - well, about a year probably - I was talking to @shequeen about the challenge of posting to a blog every day. I was doing the #mypictoday project on Tumblr and some days it was a struggle to find something to photograph and to write about. We joked that the day I posted a photo of my saucepans would be the day I'd hit rock bottom.

Last night, though, just as Dan and I were settling down to watch The Amazing Spider-Man (which is very good), I realised I hadn't taken a photo. Its not like I have a lot of stuff to photograph in the cottage and for a moment the saucepans loomed large but then I caught sight of this fellow, sitting next to the fire.

I bought him from Oxfam in Edinburgh in December 2001 when I was moving into a flat on Brunton Terrace and then, when I finished that contract, he came back to live in Kirkby Lonsdale. (I say him/he but Ishould point out that I'm no expert on giraffe sexing.)

All my life I've suffered with shaky hands - I was quite self-conscious about it at school and even university - and that presents a bit of a challenge when taking photos. Certainly trying to do anything holding the camera with one hand is a non-starter. So, I was quite pleased to take something close range and to get a steady image.